A/N: Thanks to jakrar for helping me figure out where I'm going with this. I don't expect to keep up any specific update schedule on this (I became a foster mom this summer and have my hands full). But there's a lot of story left to tell, and I have pre-written a few chapters and outlined through chapter 91.

Since it's been over a year, I'm including a quick summary of the events so far, so that you all can still follow along.

Part 1: Clark and Lex study Clark's abilities and the meteor rocks, and Jonathan opposes the friendship. They work to save Pamela from dying of cancer. Lex chooses to leave his father to die in the tornado, but Lionel survives.

Part 2: Clark discovers a cipher in the Kawache caves that allows himself and Lex to develop a drug for mutants to switch which of two negative "side effects" are present (cancer vs. homicidal tendencies). Lionel exacts revenge on Lex by driving all of his friends away. Clark turns his back on Lex when Ryan is killed. Clark's spaceship has been locked in a Kryptonite-laced room in the mansion, but it's beginning to stir.

Part 3: Lex runs away to Metropolis. He meets Helen Bryce and realizes she is a spy, but starts dating her to use this to his advantage. Pamela and Chloe help Clark to realize Lex is innocent, but they stay away from each other to allow Lionel to think he's winning.

Chapter 74 - Involvement

Clark made his way home from the mansion without ever having gone inside. He walked at a normal human pace, considering Pamela's words.

If Lex really was innocent, that meant Lionel was even more insidious and dangerous than they thought. It meant he had access to the mansion, somehow, which meant Clark would be suspect if he made regular trips. If he'd known about the drug that ultimately killed Ryan, that meant he knew about the meteor investigations labs, too.

Your eyes and ears in Smallville, Pamela had said. And she was right. The best thing Clark could do was to find out how Lionel was doing it.

The trouble was, Clark couldn't easily do surveillance in the way he normally would. Lex's labs would be secured with cameras, even if they weren't too full of Kryptonite for Clark to have any hope of making it in and out. Clark also knew a little bit about how the mansion security worked—there weren't cameras covering every inch of every room, but there was no way to get in and out of any room in the mansion without passing by at least one guard and within view of at least one camera.

Of course, meteor mutants managed to do it all the time. Jeff Palmer had managed it when he was invisible. Those thugs with the kryptonite tattoos had done it by walking through walls. And Clark could probably get in and out of the mansion without being seen or noticed, using his speed. Even if the cameras captured him, he'd be an unrecognizable blur.

The trouble was, much of the world was an unrecognizable blur to him when he was running at those speeds. With experience, he'd gotten better at picking up what was happening around him while he ran several times faster than sound, but there had never been a reason for him to practice observing anything closely while running that fast. Now, though, it was the only way he was going to be able to get any of the information he needed.

What he needed was Lex's help. Lex would know exactly what to do. He'd design a series of tests to see how impaired Clark's observational skills were at various speeds, and then he'd come up with creative ways to help Clark practice those skills. He would be methodical, he'd take notes and go over data . . .

Clark swallowed hard. He missed his friend. If only they hadn't had to leave off on such a bad note.

Well, Clark could still learn a new skill on his own. He would just have to find someone else to help him.

His heart sank when he realized exactly how few options he had. He would almost have rather told another friend his secret and risked his father's anger than try to get one of his parents to help him learn a new ability.

Almost. The truth was, anyone who knew about Clark's abilities could be in danger if anyone found out, and Lionel seemed determined to make their lives as complicated as possible.

Thinking about that, Clark couldn't blame his father for having been paranoid for so long. He'd been wrong about Lex, but he'd been right about the danger of getting involved with the Luthors. Still, Clark had given his dad a hard time, considering that the only reason why he said and did the things he'd said and done was because he cared about Clark.

Maybe Clark could make it up to him, a little.

Clark had left the house pretty early to go to the mansion. His mom was just putting breakfast on the table when he came in. She glanced with confusion from the staircase, then back to him. "I didn't even hear you leave," she said.

"Sorry, Mom. I was just . . ." He winced. He wasn't supposed to be leaving the house without permission, and it was difficult, now, to explain what he'd been doing in a way that wouldn't make his parents upset.

His dad came in just then. "Hey, son, missed you out in the barn."

Clark inwardly cringed. He had promised to help his dad with some chores that morning. "I'm so sorry, Dad. Something came up."

His dad raised his eyebrows as he sat down at the table. "Something like sleeping in?"

"No, I . . ." Clark took a deep breath. He hadn't actually talked to his parents about what was going on. They'd given him some space, since he was dealing with Ryan's death, but as far as they knew, Ryan had died of the cancer. It was what everyone had expected. Meanwhile, as far as they knew, Lex had been away because there had been business to attend to after the safety incidents at the plant.

His mom sat down next to his dad. "Sweetheart, is something wrong?"

Clark slowly sat down at the table across from them. "I haven't been completely honest with you about why Lex left."

His father raised his eyebrows.

"Um . . ." Clark shifted uncomfortably. "Ryan didn't die of cancer. He died because . . . he was injected with the prototype of that drug we developed."

"Oh," his mom said.

The horror in her voice made Clark feel it all over again, feel how terrible it really was. He blinked a couple of times. "Before he died, he tried to get a message to me, but I misunderstood him. I thought he was telling me that Lex was the one who killed him."

"Oh, Clark . . ."

He looked away. He couldn't stand to see the sympathy in his mother's eyes. He snuck a glance at his father, but nothing showed on his face. Clark cleared his throat. "I was wrong, but I didn't realize it until I accused Lex. There was nothing left for him in Smallville. We think . . . that was Lionel's plan."

"Who's we?" his dad asked.

Clark looked up at his dad. "I talked to Pamela this morning."

Clark half expected his dad to immediately latch onto the idea that Lex had been responsible for Ryan's murder, but he didn't. He just listened.

"She said not to reach out to Lex right now, because if Lionel finds out, someone else might get hurt. He's not gonna stop until Lex is left with nothing."

"I-I don't understand," his mom said. "Why would Lionel do this to his son?"

"He hates him," Clark said, but then he didn't want to say any more. What Lex had told him, about Julian and about his darkest moment in the tornado, had been extremely personal. It wasn't Clark's story to share, so he just said, "Pamela said Lex still needs me. My eyes and ears in Smallville."

"No," his dad said. "You're not getting involved in the Luthor's fights. It's not safe."

"Dad." Clark looked his father in the eye. "I'm already involved."

"Well, you're not getting any more involved."

"I think Lex could be in danger."

"Son, I'm not saying your secret is more important than Lex's life, I'm just saying . . ."

Clark glared at him. "That my secret is more important than Lex's life?"

His dad's voice caught, and he and Clark's mom exchanged a glance. Finally, his dad looked back at Clark. "If I say no, you're gonna do it anyway, aren't you?"

Clark winced. This was not the conversation he wanted to be having. "Dad, I came to ask for help."

His dad just stared at him.

"I can get more information about what's going on if I run through his labs and through the mansion, faster than the security cameras can pick up. Except . . . I have a hard time seeing much when I'm running that fast."

"Okay. How can we help with that?"

"Well, usually I'd go to Lex's experiment room, and we'd practice."

His father gave him a long, hard stare. Then he said, "Well, it may not have all the same equipment, but I think we can work something out."

Clark hadn't expected such a quick agreement. "Really?"

"Son . . . we taught you how to swim, how to ride a bike, how to mount a horse . . . we expected someday, we'd be helping you to learn how to use your powers." His dad looked down. "We, uh, haven't gotten a chance to do much."

Clark frowned. He'd never thought about the fact that his dad might have reasons other than safety concerns for insisting on being involved in Clark's research and experiments.

"Clark, don't get me wrong, son, I don't like your involvement in all of this. I still think it's dangerous, especially now that Lex isn't around to protect you from his father. But . . . standing aside when your friend is in danger? Running away from your problems? That's not the kind of person I raised you to be." He gave a wry chuckle. "Guess I'm facing the consequences of that, aren't I?"

Clark couldn't stop himself from grinning.

Lex took Helen to the symphony, and then back to his apartment, where he had hired a chef just for the night. He was thankful to have the two hours of relaxing music to get himself into the right mindset. Every word he spoke would be passed back to his father—it was possible Helen even had a recording device on her person. That meant that he not only had to say what he wanted his father to hear; he had to speak as though he suspected nothing.

At this stage in a relationship—not that he often pursued relationships beyond a one-off date—he would normally begin to drop a few more personal tidbits, though nothing private. Lex was slow to trust; Amanda Rothman had been his closest friend of his adult life other than Clark. He certainly wouldn't be confessing that his "business endeavors" were failing, so he would need to imply to Helen that his plans were on track. It was a delicate balance, and the worst part was that his father had taught him his methods—if Lex played his cards too well, he'd be caught.

Lex dismissed the chef as soon as dinner was served, in part so that they wouldn't be observed by anyone else and in part because his funds were more limited until he could win this battle and get back to the mansion and his old style of living.

Helen's eyebrows raised as she looked out over the spread of delicacies. "Very impressive," she said.

"You've worked hard today. You deserve to kick back and enjoy yourself."

She looked up at him. "I'm between jobs. What do you think I've been doing all day?"

He knew she was job hunting, along with the spy work, but all he said was, "I'm between jobs, too. What do you think I've been doing?"

"Hm. Knowing you, strategizing your next moves. Meeting with potential allies." She picked up her fork. "Planning this dinner."

He smiled and picked up his own fork, and for a few minutes they just ate, remarking only on the food.

As the meal wound down, Lex cleared his throat and lowered his fork. "Actually, the real reason I'm in Metropolis is because of my father."

"Your father?"

He nodded. "We had a . . . falling out, in Smallville."

"Town wasn't big enough for the two of you?"

"No, that's not it. I doubt he's even in Smallville anymore."

She blinked, ever so slightly faster than natural. Lex couldn't ask her what it meant without revealing his suspicion.

"Anyway. He's not the kind to forgive and forget. He turned the town against me, running me out of my own company, and then my home."

Helen frowned and gently asked, "Why are you telling me this?"

He held out his hand, taking hers. "Because I like you, Helen. And if you hear anything about me from anyone in Smallville . . . I hope you'll come to me first, before drawing your own conclusions."

Her eyebrows drew together, more in sympathy than in confusion. "It must have been hard."

"It's what I had to do."

"Leaving your friends behind."

"By the time I left, I only had one. And then he turned his back on me."

She straightened up, just slightly. "Who was he?"

If he didn't know she was a spy, he wouldn't have suspected anything. It was a normal question to ask. But since he knew, he recognized the too-eager look in her eyes. This was what she had been sent to ask about.

Lex's heart rate picked up. He had to get a message to Clark, to warn him. But for the time being, it was more important to make sure his father believed what Helen told him.

Lex looked down at his hands. "Someone who I thought would stand by my side until the end."

"He must have been very special."

"He reminded me of someone I knew."

There. Hopefully his father would buy that—it was feasible that Lex might have formed an attachment to a kind younger man just because he reminded Lex of Julian. It was entirely possible that Lex and Clark might have found each other and become friends even if Lex hadn't accidentally discovered Clark's secret.

Though her face remained neutral, Lex could tell that Helen was struggling with whether to ask for more information. He hadn't left her an opening—she really couldn't ask any more without coming off as rude. She must have decided it was enough for tonight, though, because she leaned in closer to her. "Well, I'm glad you're here, Lex."

"Me too," he said, and he kissed her.